Renal hemodynamics and oxygen consumption during postischemic acute renal failure in the rat.

Acute renal failure in the rat was induced by occluding the left renal artery for 1 hour. The kidneys were examined 1, 3, 10, and 40 days after temporary ischemia. Inulin clearance was essentially zero in oligoanuric kidneys on days 1 and 3, and regained 14% and 63% of the control value on days 10 and 40, respectively. Mean cortical blood flow remained almost constant at 75% of control up to day 10 and normalized subsequently on day 40. Renal oxygen consumption during anuria on days 1 and 3 was 53% and 46% of the control value and increased thereafter concurrently with the restoration of renal function. With a single linear correlation being assumed to exist between sodium reabsorption and oxygen consumption for all kidneys, the sodium reabsorption and oxygen consumption for all kidneys, the sodium transport estimated from oxygen consumption on day 1 was about 40% of control value. The difference between the sodium transport calculated from oxygen consumption and that from inulin clearance decreased with time in the recovery phase. The results indicate only a partial reduction of GFR due to the reduced blood flow in this model. The data are consistent with the hypothesis that tubular leakage and tubular obstruction play an important role in the loss of renal function during the manifestation of acute renal failure.